OAKLAND, CA – City officials announced today that Oakland Public Works (OPW) has expanded weekend staffing for its illegal dumping cleanup crews. The change will provide more coverage across more neighborhoods and faster response when residents report illegal dumping. The expansion is funded through labor savings from vacant positions in the Public Works budget and does not rely on additional taxpayer dollars.
"As Mayor, I want all of us to build an Oakland where our streets reflect the dignity, pride and resilience of this community," said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. "We know too many Oaklanders are seeing trash on their streets and illegal dumping in their neighborhoods. And we are working hard to address this issue. Let’s create a cleaner, safer, greener Oakland together.”
“I want to thank the hardworking staff in our illegal dumping unit who are putting in extra hours in a demanding job to get our streets clean faster,” said Josh Rowan, Interim Director of Oakland Public Works and Director of OakDOT. “We are complementing these expanded cleanup efforts with creative policy solutions and partnerships that we believe can significantly reduce the amount of trash that reaches our streets in the first place.”
The enhanced staffing is part of a broader set of operational and policy initiatives being developed to prevent, reduce, and more efficiently clean up illegal dumping citywide.
Phase two of the Mayor’s “Keep the Town Clean Initiative” is launching this fall and will bring trash removal “block parties” to each of Oakland’s seven council districts through spring 2026, as well as monthly business corridor clean ups.
In September, OPW partnered with local nonprofit Keep Oakland Beautiful to achieve a Caltrans “Clean California Community” designation. This recognition is earned by demonstrating or committing to meet 10 litter-reduction criteria and makes the City more competitive for state resources to keep enhancing programs and services addressing blight.
The City also continues to strengthen its community partnerships to combat illegal dumping. Through the Adopt-a-Spot program, OPW supports hundreds of community groups with no-cost tool loans, debris bins, and trash pickup. Over the past year, OPW has helped facilitate more than 2,500 community cleanup events. The City is now developing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that would open the door to non-profit organizations to contract directly with the City on beautification and cleanup efforts.
Oakland Public Works currently has 58 budgeted positions in its illegal dumping unit. In FY 2024-25, the team responded to more than 25,700 service requests and removed over 9,000 tons (18 million pounds) of illegally dumped materials from city streets.
Oaklanders are encouraged to visit OaklandRecycles.com to learn more about the free bulky junk removal services available to them. Both property owners and renters can now schedule appointments directly. Residents of multi-family homes may schedule one free curbside pick-up and one free self-haul drop off appointment every year. Residents of single family homes may schedule a second free curbside pick-up after taking advantage of their drop-off appointment.
To view this news release online, visit www.oaklandca.gov/news
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